What is the skill of literary translation?

Good knowledge of a foreign language, responsibility and thoroughness – this is not a reason to take up work with literary texts. Only a literary translation bureau that has employees who know the specifics of such work can cope with this task.

Literary text translation: tasks and features

When it comes to works of fiction, memoirs, screenplays, subtitles, etc., the translation accuracy is not enough. The quality of work here is assessed according to the following aspects:

Transmitting the meaning of the original text;
Compliance with the unique author's style;
Aesthetic appeal;
Exhaustive completeness of use of all language tools;
The ability to transmitting the atmosphere, character, mood, humorous component of an artistic creation.

How goals are achieved

Taking into account the strict requirements and the special approach, literary translation of a wide variety of texts is reasonably ranked as a special area of activity. The fact is that everyone should be interested: both children who discover the world of fairy tales, and adults who read the books of Remark, Feikhtvanher, Cervantes and other foreign authors.

To achieve the desired effect, you need a specialist who can be both an editor and a proofreader at the same time. No less obligatory will be the combination of creativity and impeccable knowledge of languages in one person (from which to which translation is being done).

Only a literary translator of foreign texts with remarkable writing abilities and talent is capable of playing the role of a guide to the fascinating world created by a specific writer. The difficulty of the task is that he will literally have to write the book again, but not in the language in which the writer worked.

The preservation of the plot, the unique atmosphere and the author's style is only part of the matter. Therefore, a literary translator is an employee who has the following requirements::

Possession of a certain amount of knowledge;
Rich vocabulary, insight into the essence of idiomatic expressions, knowledge of proverbs and sayings in the target language;
A solid amount of information about the people, culture, history and geography of the country for which the translation is being made.

Hence the conclusion: to perfectly cope with the translation of any literary texts - this means:

To eliminate any mistakes and typos;
To observe the format and volume of the text;
To make the given material as interesting as possible;
Knowledge and ability to use stable expressions;
Do not allow distortion of the meaning of the publication;
To accurately convey the author's intention and original style.

Some more nuances and difficulties

The work promises to be successful if the translator of literature has the following qualities:

Quick wit;
Unlimited limits of imagination;
An appropriate level of professionalism.

One cannot but agree that this process provides for a large number of means of expression, among which metaphors, epithets, and comparative phrases take their place. Speaking names, first names, surnames, etc. can also play a special role. That is why a translator of literary texts must possess the following skills:

to understand the specifics of literary genres;
to master the basics of narrative theories and philological methodology.

Moreover, the translator will certainly encounter obstacles in the form of historical and cultural differences. Difficulties can arise due to the lack of direct equivalents for conveying the nuances of the narrative. It takes a lot of work to achieve the desired degree of expressiveness.

For the convenience of completing the task, the following approaches are practiced:

the work is performed in several stages;
to rely on a thorough analysis of the original text;
if necessary, change the structure of the sentence (taking into account the subtext);
try to convey the play on words, the subtleties of national humor;
to rely on a rich vocabulary;
to demonstrate the ability to draw parallels and trace associative connections.

In addition, it is extremely important for a translator with literary translation skills to have a good understanding of the author's point of view.

Translation of literature through the bureau's website

Do you need guarantees of high-quality performance of the task? Please specify the language you are interested in on the bureau's website, upload and send the text. The company, for its part, guarantees that every employee with the status of literary translator will be able to grasp its historical and social context in the work. In addition, an understanding of the structure of the translated book, an intelligent interpretation, expressiveness and good sounding of each part of the work are guaranteed. Also important is the masterful adaptation of the text to the language and cultural background of interest. Moreover, everything will be done without the risk of depriving the translated literature of its original artistic originality.

When it comes to translation standards, everything is strictly enforced. The scope of the original material, the structure of the sentences, as well as other language and professional aspects will be ensured.